An orchestra knows during the first two minutes of the first rehearsal whether or not they are going to enjoy the person on the podium.

The life of any musician really doesn't fall into a normal schedule at all. Every week there are different rehearsals, different days and nights of performances, so we don't have a particular pattern that we can follow. For a conductor, it is a little bit worse because we have to allow for traveling.

I'm not particularly lucid after a concert. I'm not very lucid before, either.

People know Detroit for the cars, but the suburban areas of the city are really beautiful. It's much more inhabitable than people think. Many believe it's like Berlin at the end of World War II.

There is no 'perfect' in music. If I ever came off the stage and felt it could not be better, it would then be time to quit.

I've come to the conclusion that a long personal relationship is next to impossible for me. Ultimately, music is a possessive mistress.

I use my hands like a sculptor, to mold and shape the sound I want, to clarify.